I'm just a girl who loves to eat good food! I travel Nashville with a group of other foodies trying new restaurants and repeating old favorites.
I generally lean toward the ethnic, but as long as it's good food, then sign me up!

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Ethiopian
Cuisine was probably the catalyst that encouraged me start my Meetup group "What the Pho!" six
years ago. I couldn't find anyone who would go out with me to eat it – not friends nor coworkers... unless I bribed them by offering to pay for their meal. So I
ate alone holding a book. Do you have any idea how hard it is to eat
Ethiopian food while reading a book? Six years later, “What the Pho!” has over
a thousand Meetup members. I never knew there were so many people eager to try
new cuisines and who loved getting their hands "dirty" while they eat.

“Mesob Veggie & Meat Combo”

Chef’s
selection of vegetables and meat

samplers $14.99

Since the
first time I tried Ethiopian food at the age of 17 (20++ years ago, shhh - a
lady never tells her age) in Washington DC, I fell in LOVE. I can only try
to explain it by saying, it's a happy marriage of my mother's
Southern/"soul food" cooking mixed with Indian spices. Little did I
know then that it would be almost another 17 years before I would eat it
again.

African
nations are still emerging and pulling themselves out of poverty. But their
cuisines should never be overlooked. Their foods reflect a combination of
native cuisines mixed with the cuisines of countries who have occupied them
over time (France, Italy, Spain and Portugal to name a few), creating something new, unusual and amazing.

On my most recent visit toMesob Ethiopian Restaurant, I took a
plunge from my usual meat or veggie combo (which I would highly recommend to
anyone new to the cuisine). I ordered the Ethiopian spaghetti and it was
delicious... I finished every last bite. And anyone who knows me knows, I
always take home leftovers or leave a dish unfinished (if it's not suited to
leftovers). I'm addicted now... and yes, they served it with toasted Italian
bread and gave me a fork to eat it with.

Yes,
there is "Ethiopian spaghetti". Although Ethiopia has never been
ruled by a foreign power, it was briefly occupied by the Italians in 1936.
During the brief occupation, Ethiopians adopted spaghetti and made it their own with the berbere commonly used in Ethiopian and Eritrean cooking. Then there's
the "Ethiopian fajitas" (as I like to call them) but more
appropriately on the menu known as "Mesob tibs". I have yet to try them but have seen them come out sizzling on the skillet. We finally asked what they were on our last trip.

“Lega-Tibs”

Your
choice of lamb or beef cubes

sautéed in

herbed butter with onions, green
pepper,

tomato, and rosemary

Beef
$10.00 | Lamb $11.00

(photo courtesy of Pamela Hundley)

There are
a few amazing Ethiopian restaurants in Nashville, including Gojo Ethiopian Café and Goha Ethiopian Restaurant. I am well acquainted
with the owners and love that they treat me like family. The above are my favorites.

Rules for
eating Ethiopian food:

1. Wash
your hands.

2. Injera
is the staple bread and is used as your utensil. It is a flat, spongy, slightly
sour bread (think giant crepe, made from teff flour and gluten free). Use small pieces to scoop
up your food and enjoy. NOTE: Injera is also common to Somalia, Djibouti, Sudan
and Yemen. My neighbors are Yemeni and call it “lahoh”.

3. You
can ask for a fork, but it’s not as much fun.

4. You
can order individual dishes or multiple people can join together and share
sampler platters (my suggestion), that's the concept of Ethiopian food
"sharing" - thus, wash your hands. Share your food and enjoy!

5. Wash
your hands again (see a pattern here). They will smell like wonderful spices
for days.

“Those
who eat from the same plate will never betray each other.”
- Ethiopian Proverb

About Me

I am Rose! Since mid-2008, I have been the organizer of an ethnic dining Meetup called "What the Pho!"
I have been under constant pressure from friends and Meetup members for a while to start my own official blog because according to them, I have technically been blogging for years on Meetup and on my Facebook pages (both personal and "What the Pho!")
I hope my blog inspires you to eat great food and try new places you would never have considered going.
If you want to join us on our journey, you can find us at: http://www.meetup.com/What-the-Pho/